


Needy

by glim



Series: wawa au [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-07 21:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11632146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glim/pseuds/glim
Summary: They've been together now for four years and, before that, friends as far back as Steve can remember. He's always known Bucky; he's always loved him, too. Of course he's going back to school a day early and leaving as soon as he can tomorrow to take care of his boyfriend.





	Needy

Steve pauses his music and opens up Facetime as soon as he gets out of the subway and onto the sidewalk. He was going to wait until he was home to talk to Bucky, but he's been missing his boyfriend something awful this week. Even knowing that he's going to see Bucky tomorrow isn't good enough after his long day of research at the museum, after not seeing him for a few days. 

"Hey, sweetheart..." Bucky smiles and sits up from the pillows on his bed. His white tee shirt is wrinkled and his hair's all messed up, like maybe he'd been taking a nap. "You home already?" 

"Yeah, well, almost. On my way. I'm looking where I'm going," he says, before Bucky can chew him out for Facetiming while walking home from the subway stop. "How's my guy? You look tired..." 

Bucky grins at the term of endearment, then runs a hand through his hair. "I'm okay. I think I'm getting sick, though." His voice dips into a rasp and Bucky clears his throat. 

"Yeah? You sound a little..." Steve stops at a corner and shifts his bag on his shoulder. "Kinda rough." 

"Only you'd be able to tell that, Stevie." Bucky rubs the same hand over his face and makes a sound that's not quite a groan, but is low enough that Steve can hear how his throat must be hurting already. 

"That's 'cause I've spent the past twenty years listening to your annoying voice go on all the time. You think I wouldn't notice?" He crosses the street, and lets Bucky see he's doing a safe job of it. "How bad does your throat feel, babe?" 

"... not so bad? Really scratchy," he says when Steve frowns at him in disbelief. "Like I swallowed glass, you know, that kinda feeling." 

Steve nods and feels his chest start to well up with warmth. God, all he wants to put his arms around Bucky, to press his face into Bucky's neck and murmur fond things into his skin while they curl up together on Bucky's bed. Thinking about going up to see Bucky and to spend the whole long weekend with him, maybe spending a lot of it in bed and watching tv together, or reading while Bucky tries to sleep off the cold, that all makes Steve miss Bucky at least ten times more. 

"You gonna come home? Let your ma make you soup and let you sleep on the sofa?" That would be okay, too, to have Bucky come home here to New York; Steve would stay with his own ma a couple extra days when he wasn't at Bucky's house.

Bucky looks wistful for a moment, then shakes his head and rubs his eyes."I have so much work to do. A couple projects and an essay to write. Ugh, and a test next week I really need to start studying for." 

"I wanna come take care of you, then. I'm coming back tomorrow. I'll help you study, too." 

"Steve. You're going to catch this. All the kids on my floor are already sick or getting sick." 

Steve shrugs. "So? Everyone's getting sick around my dorm, too. I'm gonna get something sooner or later. Might as well catch your cold." 

Bucky looks like he's going to say no, but that little wistful look comes into his eyes again and the corner of his mouth turns up into a smile. "I really don't want you to get sick, and I feel like I should tell you we should cancel spending this weekend together, but..." 

"But?" Steve coaxes. 

"... would be nice," he says, and rubs his eyes, and just keeps on rubbing them for a good long while. 

He's _definitely_ getting sick. Scratchy, sore throat and tired, itchy eyes? Typical Bucky when he's coming down with a cold. He'll probably have a runny nose and cough tomorrow, and he'll be sneezing by the time Steve gets there. 

Yeah, Steve knows his boy, he knows how Bucky's going to need tissues and the super extra strength NyQuil if he hopes to get any sleep this weekend. They've been together now for four years and, before that, friends as far back as Steve can remember. He's always known Bucky; he's always loved him, too. Of course he's going back to school a day early and leaving as soon as he can tomorrow to take care of his boyfriend. 

"I'm coming back tomorrow, okay? I have work to finish at the museum for my independent study first, and then I'm going to buy you stuff for your cold, and then I'm taking the train back down to school." 

Bucky doesn't answer, but rubs at his eyes, and then his face, and then droops back in against his pillows. "... you're sure?" 

"Sure I'm sure. Don't I look sure?" Steve holds his phone right in front of himself and gives Bucky his best determined, _Steve Rogers does not take no for an answer face_. 

"Stevie, you know I hate when you make that face. Always gets you or me or both of us in trouble, somehow." Bucky coughs a little, quiet and rough, and nestles down against his pillows, definitely looking like he needs a nap. Or _another_ nap. "When d'you think you'll finish up tomorrow?" 

"Not until late afternoon--I have to go to that talk at four. Maybe around six? I'll probably be back by nine at the latest." Steve pauses. "What's your duty schedule look like for the weekend?"

Bucky nods. "Not too bad. Some of the kids are going home for Rosh Hashanah, and then some just for the weekend, so it should be pretty quiet." 

"Okay," Steve says, then, "we can spent the whole weekend together, then, all curled up together in your room." 

Bucky shakes his head. "You don't even fucking care if you get sick, do you?"

This time Steve lets his gaze slip from Bucky's. Honestly, no, he doesn't really care. He wasn't lying about what he said before--nearly everyone in his classes and in his dorm has been coughing and sniffling and sneezing, so Steve's bound to come down with something before September's over. But, yeah, he likes being close to Bucky when he's not feeling good, holding him and having Bucky press in really close to him, too. 

And it's not like Bucky doesn't like the attention. Come on, it's _Bucky_ , he might not want it from everyone, but he totally basks in it when it's Steve taking care of him when he's not feeling good. He doesn't exactly play it up, but then, he doesn't really need to; he doesn't get sick much, but he does manage to get the really nasty colds going around campus about once a semester. 

Maybe it's the rarity of the occasion. Or maybe it's that Bucky's so warm and affectionate and needy when he's sick. Or maybe it's that Steve hasn't seen Bucky in a couple weeks and misses him more than he's willing to say on the phone.

Or all those things, right. Steve looks back at Bucky and shakes his head. He's at his mom's apartment building already, and he smiles when Bucky makes a little cough-ish sound to get his attention. "Whatever. It's fine. You want to stay on Facetime?" 

Bucky nods. "Until you go to bed?" 

"Sure, but, Buck, you're ready to fall asleep right now." 

"M'good. Wanna stay up and watch a movie with you. I'm on duty tonight, anyway, so I have to stay up." 

"Okay, baby. You pick something while I shower..." He steps into the elevator, punches in his floor, and frowns a little when Bucky leans away from the phone to cough. "Get some water and something for your throat. You can have tea?"

Bucky nods again and runs his hand through his hair again, rumpling it up even more, and makes a soft, tired sound. "Ugh, no. Hey, hold on a minute," he says when there's a knock at his door. 

A few minutes pass and Steve can hear Bucky talking to somebody at the door, then padding back into his room, coughing as he does so. He goes back to talk to the person at his door, then comes to sit back down on his bed. 

"Sorry..." Bucky rubs both hands over his face. "They're starting to flip out about the first round of hourly exams." He coughs again, then winces when he swallows. 

"Tea," Steve repeats. "Put some honey in it." 

Bucky pulls a face. "It's too hot for tea."

"You actually _like_ tea," Steve points out, but doesn't press that point when Bucky turns his face into his pillow to cough. "Also it's pretty much fall, and it's going to be chilly tonight, you can suffer through a cup of tea so your throat's not killing you." 

"Yeah, maybe. I might need the caffeine to make it through until two a.m." 

"Bucky, then you'll be up all night." 

"Yeah, you should talk. I have to force you to drink tea when you're sick. I know, because you think it's gross, and you'd rather down a gallon of coffee instead of take a nap." 

"I'm gonna ignore that coffee remark. Go pick out a movie, okay? I'll be back to check on you..." 

Steve drops his bag off in his room, plugs his phone in to charge, and takes a quick, hot shower. He doesn't really enjoy getting into bed smelling like the subway, and it's just easier to sleep after the hot water helps him relax. After the shower, he grabs the post-it note and sandwich his mom left him before she went to work, and leaves her a note and sandwich in return for when she comes home early tomorrow morning from the hospital. 

"You look so cute," Bucky says when Steve gets back to his phone and flops onto his bed in a Rutgers tee-shirt and boxers. "Wearin' my shirt like that." 

"You look so sleepy..." Steve smiles, though, and barely, barely refrains from telling Bucky that he looks cute, too, with the soft, tired look on his face. "You got water? D'you need a Tylenol for your throat or headache?" 

Bucky shakes his head and tries to look annoyed, but, right, he's totally happy that Steve's reminding him to take care of himself so he can get some sleep tonight. He eventually gets up and gets himself a couple painkillers to swallow down with his water while Steve finishes his sandwich. 

They get through the first _Jurassic Park_ together, the first movie they both actually deemed scary enough not to sleep after watching, back when he was five and Bucky six, and a good part of their friendship back then was centered around an intense, mutual love of dinosaurs. Halfway through the second, Steve's dozing off and feels a weird little pang of sadness that neither can he stay awake with Bucky nor can he fall asleep next to his boyfriend. 

Steve sends Bucky a couple good-night texts before he truly falls asleep, and even though he knows it doesn't really mean anything, he keeps his Facetime open, too, even after he turns off his lights and curls up under the blankets.

* * *

Since it's already after nine o'clock by the time Steve finishes up at the Met and gets the train back to Jersey, he has to wait for Bucky to come down to the dorm lobby and sign him in as a guest. If Nat's at the desk, she'll usually sign Steve in for Bucky, but the RA on duty tonight doesn't really know Steve well enough to do anything more than nod at him. Waiting isn't really a problem, as it's not raining or really cold, but he feels kind of bad that Bucky has to come and get him when he's feeling so crappy. 

And if Bucky's texts and voicemail from earlier today are anything to go by, he's already feeling pretty bad. Really, the voicemail was at least fifty-percent coughing and sniffling and fifty-percent Bucky complaining his throat still hurt. Steve's pretty sure he called Steve _just_ to complain at him, even though he knew Steve was at the museum working and then at the talk. 

A few students walk up to the dorm and let Steve into the lobby in front of the security window right as Bucky gets downstairs. He's got on jeans and a black tee shirt with flip-flops and a baseball cap, all of which means that okay, he wasn't lying when he said he went to the dining hall for food at some point and didn't forget to eat between napping and studying and going to his Thursday classes.

One of the guys who had walked with Steve in says hello to Bucky, then gives him a once-over and a frown. "God, JB, you look awful. Good night yesterday?" 

"What? You don't think I can pull off the dark under-eye circles? Or that overall pale, exhausted look?" Bucky rubs his face and fixes the baseball cap; he gives a shrug and half smile after, in that sweet way that pretty much means anyone would answer yes to his questions.. "Nah, no party last night, I'm the responsible RA who was on duty. Just getting the same cold all you kiddos have..." 

That gets him a couple sounds of sympathy and Steve rolls his eyes over Bucky's ability to be oddly charming even with his sick voice, but leans in when Bucky puts an arm around his shoulders as he signs Steve into the dorm. He takes Steve's backpack and slides it onto his own shoulder, and then walks Steve to the elevator. Once they get in, even with his first-year students in there, Bucky slumps against the back wall and leans in against Steve. 

"You feeling awful?" Steve asks, but quietly, and nods when Bucky leans in more against him than against the wall. "Okay, your sickface needs to get back in bed." 

"Thanks, I missed you, too." Bucky gets a little, confused wince on his face, then lifts the collar of his tee shirt to cover a cough. By the time they get to his room, he really does look exhausted. 

"Let's sit down together," Steve says. He leaves his shoes and messenger bag next to where Bucky drops his backpack by the desk, then pulls Bucky over to the bed.

"I got you lots of stuff..." Steve cuddles in next to Bucky and kisses his cheek. "Tissues and medicine, and some food from home, and those gross cough drops you like." He kisses Bucky again and hums his approval when Bucky leans into the kisses. "So you'll smell all sexy and menthol-y for me this weekend." 

Bucky laughs, and then coughs, and then reaches around Steve for the box of tissues next to his bed. "I bet you've been looking forward to that all day. Since you apparently want me to breathe all over you this weekend," he adds when Steve leans in closer to press a kiss to Bucky's shoulder, and then behind his ear. 

"Your single is the size of a shoebox. And you're so needy when you're sick, it's not like I can actually avoid you." Steve puts both arms around Bucky when he goes grumpily indignant at Steve and frowns at his crumpled tissues. "C'mon, not that I would... you know that." 

"Yeah, yeah... such a good boyfriend," Bucky mumbles and rubs his face again, pressing his knuckles into one eye and then the tissues against the bottom of his nose. A soft, hoarse groan, and then he leans away from Steve to cover a couple harsh sneezes with his arm. 

"Bless you... Geez, again?" 

Bucky can't even nod before he has to sneeze another two times in a row, and then he sniffles and coughs miserably for a while, until Steve starts stroking his back and making quiet, sympathetic noises at him. 

" _Are_ you really feeling terrible?" Steve reaches up to take the hat off his head and combs his fingers through Bucky's hair, smiling when it refuses to be anything but messy. "You're all bed-hair and head cold..." 

Bucky shrugs like he did in the elevator, but gives Steve a different kind of smile. Slow, and kind of tired and fond, and he finally gives a nod as Steve strokes his hair. "Not so great, I guess, yeah." 

"Should I read the symptoms off the NyQuil bottle and you can tell me which ones you have?" Steve's still trying to stroke Bucky's hair into some semblance of order, and although it has that clean, soft feel to it, Steve can tell Bucky probably did fall asleep on it after he showered and then shoved the hat down on top of it. 

It takes about one firm tug to get Bucky to rest his head against Steve's shoulder, and when he does, he makes another pathetic sniffly sound. "All of 'em, Stevie. I was kinda sick last night, and not great this morning, but then I went to the library to work, and... Ugh." 

"You fall asleep in the library, babe?" 

"Nooo...." Bucky shakes his head, but he's also doing the tired, whiny sort of thing, which probably means even if he did fall asleep, he didn't actually get any rest. "You ever try to sleep in an engineering library? You can't. It's full of really intense engineers." 

"Yeah, and you're one of them." Steve keeps on petting Bucky's hair until he's all soft and ready to lie down on the bed. "You want to get in bed and watch more dinosaurs?" 

"Whatever you want, sweetheart." Bucky's busy undoing the buttons on Steve's shirt, telling him looks like an old man hipster in the plaid shirt and khakis he wore to the museum, and then burying his face in Steve's chest. "Just glad you're here..." 

"Me, too, Buck." He kisses the top of Bucky's head, and decides, right, all the _Jurassic Park_ movies, even the awful second one, are completely Bucky's favorite to watch when he's sick, so they'll watch more of that for sure. 

They talk quietly for a little while, and Steve only nudges Bucky a couple times when he starts coughing on him. When one of the coughing jags goes on a little too long, Steve pushes Bucky to sit up better so Steve can rub his back. 

"I'm actually making tea for you tonight. I'll even have some with you, okay?" 

Bucky nods, tired and sniffly, but doesn't let Steve up off the bed for at least five more minutes. Once he's had his few minutes of clinginess, Bucky kisses Steve a few times and murmurs that he's going to change for bed. 

Steve puts water on to boil, changes Bucky's RA status on the whiteboard outside his door to 'sick & asleep,' and draws a little doodle of Bucky in his bed next to the status. A few of the students in the lounge area outside say hi to Steve and talk to him for a few minutes, a decent sign that, one month into the fall semester, Steve's already spent a substantial amount of time at Bucky's dorm. 

"You talkin' to my kids?" Bucky shuffles out in sweats and his tee-shirt, barefoot now, and leans over Steve's shoulder. 

"He calls _all_ of us his kids," one of the them complain and rolls her eyes, then smiles in a way that Steve knows is a reaction to Bucky smiling at her. "Ugh. Also," she pauses, "you look great, JB." 

"Yeah, everyone keeps telling me." Bucky hides his face against Steve's shoulder then turns away, one hand on Steve's back as he coughs a couple times. "Bet I sound great, too," he adds. 

" _Amazing_ ," Steve replies. "Alright, I need to go look after my guy..." He says good-night to the first-year students, and lets them talk to Bucky for a few minutes, asking how he feels and if he has to be on duty when he's sick. After a few muffled sneezes that leave Bucky's voice raspy, Steve eventually succeeds in pushing Bucky back into his room. 

"Next time you get sick, I can leave you in the care of your fan club." 

"God, no thanks. I love them, but it would be all microwave popcorn and cheap alcohol obtained by dubious methods." 

"They like you a lot. They'd get you cold medicine." 

Bucky laughs and coughs, and traces his fingertips down the line of Steve's spine after he tugs off his shirt. "They like that I'm always willing to help when they lock themselves out. Hey," he says when Steve glances over his shoulder, "you know I'd rather have you, even with popcorn and dubious vodka." 

"I brought you neither of those things. But I did get you other stuff..." 

"You brought me actual food from home?" Bucky asks as he watches Steve put a couple things into the dorm fridge. He hovers behind Steve, sniffling, and makes a soft, pleased sound. "Actual New York food? Real food? You didn't just stop at the Wawa?"

"Sure, baby, only for you..." Steve slips his arms around Bucky's waist as they stand next to his bed. "Soup and some cookies, a few things that you like. You can have the rest of my sandwich that I didn't finish on the train back, too." 

"Mmm. Stevie germs."

"You're really not one to talk." Steve slips one hand underneath Bucky's shirt to press his hand to the small of his back and draw him in close. 

"Really glad you're here, Stevie." Bucky nuzzles in against Steve's shoulder and presses closer into the hug. 

After that, there's tea and pajamas and more dinosaurs. Steve watches the last half of the movie on his own while Bucky sleeps, his face pressed into Steve's chest, even though he's probably seen it at least a couple dozen times already. He wants to stay awake a little longer, stroking Bucky's hair and basking in the warmth of being back with his boyfriend.


End file.
